House of Tonbridge

The House of Tonbridge was a noble family of ancient England originating in present-day Kent in southeastern England.

History
The town of Tonbridge, meaning "town of bridges", was first recorded as "Tonebrige" in the Domesday Book in 1087. Located in Kent, Tonebrige stood on higher ground above the Medway River, and had bridges that crossed several streams. The Houes of Tonbridge originated in Tonebrige before the 9th century, and it held noble titles under the Kingdom of Kent as well as the Kingdom of Wessex.

One of its scions was Wulfmaer of Tonbridge, a Christian Anglo-Saxon nobleman who was a vassal of Wessex. Wulfmaer raised 398 troops when King Aethelred of Wessex called for the formation of the fyrd to fight against the Great Heathen Army of Vikings in 867, which had conquered York in 865 and founded the kingdom of Jorvik. As Wolfmaer is the first recorded member of the House of Tonbridge in the annals of history, it is unknown if the line originated with him, or if he had unrecorded ancestors who also held titles of nobility in Anglo-Saxon England.